Known largely for the infamous dark days of rule under the genocidal Khmer Rouge, Cambodia is less developed than neighbouring Vietnam, but its dependence on the Mekong river is no less pronounced. From the all important artisanal fishing industry to the great interior floodplains that supply much of the countryâ€™s staple food, rice, and the multitude of people and cultures who populate the riverâ€™s banks, Cambodia is very much connected to the Mekong.

Among Southeast Asian nations, Cambodiaâ€™s relationship to the Mekong river is unique because of â€śThe Great Lakeâ€ť: The Tonle Sap. Located in the heart of the nation the Tonle Sap is the regionâ€™s fresh water body and one of the worldâ€™s most productive inland fisheries. Each year the Mekong swells with monsoon rains and surges into the lake, providing nutrients and sediment critical to the fish stocks that provide up to 70% of Cambodiansâ€™ protein intake.

Produced in partnership with Lien Aid (http://www.lienaid.org), a Singapore based organization focusing on water issues throughout Asia, these images represent a visual summary of a series of multimedia stories from the Mekong in The Kingdom of Cambodia. Imagery from phase three of the A River's Tail project in Laos will be coming to Photojournale in the coming months, and the full collection of articles can be found at http://www.ariverstail.com.

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